WHO chief Tedros says China's zero-Covid policy not 'sustainable'

Speaking after Tedros, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said the impact of a 'zero-Covid' policy on human rights also needs to be taken into consideration

The head of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday China's zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy is not sustainable given what is now known of the virus, in rare public comments by the U.N. agency on a government's handling of the pandemic.

"We don't think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus and what we now anticipate in the future," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing.

"We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts. And we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable... I think a shift would be very important."

He said increased knowledge